Facing the Truth

The Emperor of the Britannia Empire felt that the time was approaching when he would have to make a judgment on the truth he had been ignoring until now.

“This is troublesome.”

Even without Princess Louise’s report, just looking at what House Artin announced today, he couldn’t help but feel something was strange.

‘Was there any need to announce the death of Theodore Artin, who went missing 11 years ago?’

The answer, no matter how he thought about it, was that there was no such need.

William Artin had already been in the position of heir to House Artin for 11 years, and his misdeeds were to the extent that even House Artin couldn’t restrain him; he was an uncontrollable entity.

‘William’s sudden action means he’s feeling some anxiety.’

Being the emperor of a country meant that one’s mind had to work to a certain extent.

Although it was inevitable to develop myopic tendencies while sitting on the throne as emperor, to ordinary people, he had become an unpredictable entity who acted shortsightedly in some aspects while being sharp and keen in others.

‘Considering that the Duchess Artin wept while calling Theodore Skyroad by the name Theodore, and now this happens, it’s even more suspicious.’

As he had thought before, if Theodore’s identity was Theodore Artin, there was a high possibility that he was the real Chosen One.

And if he was the Chosen One, all the diplomatic privileges that the Britannia Empire had been enjoying would be nullified.

Moreover, if his identity was revealed as true now that Theodore Artin had been officially treated as dead, the blow that House Artin would receive would not be light at all.

‘They might even be ruined.’

No matter how long their history was, House Artin, which had let the Chosen One escape overseas, would inevitably face ruin.

And as the Emperor, who was worried about public opinion questioning the imperial family’s responsibility, he prayed that Princess Louise would use any means to persuade Theodore in the current situation.

‘Even if he’s not the Chosen One, gaining one talented individual would be fine.’

Louise’s report described the abilities that Theodore Skyroad had demonstrated at Minst Academy.

It confirmed that the rumors about the abilities he had shown at Jeiha Academy were not empty rumors but the truth.

“Even if he’s not necessarily the Chosen One, he’s a talent who could be made the husband of the Imperial Princess and given a separate title without issue.”

But considering his position as the heir to House Skyroad, the minimum title that would have to be given was that of a duke.

Originally, if he was Theodore Artin, there was a plan to hand over the title of Duke Artin to him, but unfortunately, it had become an unusable plan because of William.

“William Artin…”

The Emperor thought that to overcome the current situation, he might have to step outside the established framework.

Yuria was slightly surprised by her own action of holding Theodore’s hand.

But she didn’t try to let go.

‘Compared to what Lord Theodore did, this is nothing.’

That thought automatically arose in Yuria’s mind.

Compared to Theodore putting his hand on her shoulder and embracing her, or embracing her after class this morning, holding his hand was not a big deal.

As she thought this, Yuria felt a sense of self-loathing, feeling that her thoughts were somewhat childish.

‘What am I thinking?’

And she felt her heart beating rapidly.

Yuria’s gaze carefully examined Theodore’s expression.

But Theodore just smiled slightly and silently held her hand lightly in return.

‘I-I’m embarrassed…’

She was embarrassed by the impulsive act she had committed.

But at the same time, Yuria had already entered the stage of recognizing what direction her emotions were taking and accepting them, so she didn’t let go of his hand.

“Um, Lord Theodore. It seems they won’t give up over there… will that be okay?”

“Yes, they certainly won’t give up. And it seems a rather significant event will be approaching in the not-too-distant future.”

The significant event Theodore was referring to would be the process of proving his identity.

Just looking at William’s excessive actions and Imperial Princess Louise’s reaction, Theodore’s truth was already as good as right in front of them.

“I feel even more sorry towards you. You’ve gotten entangled in my personal matters.”

Theodore apologized once again.

Theodore’s apology still felt unfamiliar to Yuria, but understanding that this was his true nature after opening his heart made it comprehensible.

‘He might be annoyingly excellent… but the reason he tried not to give affection easily was because he’s weak to it.’

He must have worn a mask and kept his distance because he knew himself that he was the type to give deep affection once he gave it.

Honestly speaking, Yuria herself was still confused about how to accept the fact that she had unknowingly crossed the wall he had set up.

But she felt that one fact was clear.

‘This is better than before.’

That Theodore’s current attitude was better than his previous attitude towards her.

That fact was an undeniable truth, regardless of any other circumstances.

“Well, we should go to class now.”

“Yes, it seems it’s about to start.”

It was time for the afternoon classes to begin.

The afternoon class was a physical training class held in a wide open space.

Because of that, the place serving as the classroom for this class was not inside a building but an open space.

“To properly handle a sword, it’s not just the arms that are important! The lower body that supports you while using the sword also needs to be trained!”

While a muscular professor was passionately lecturing, most of the students showed weary reactions.

This class itself was quite popular.

For the students of the Swordsmanship Department who liked being active, such class times where they could run and swing swords directly rather than sitting in their seats were good.

In any case, swinging a sword for several hours a day was something most had done while at home before coming to Minst Academy, so it wasn’t difficult.

‘This is something I do often.’

Yuria also understood well what the professor was saying.

Having repeatedly practiced physical exercise to build strength since childhood, along with countless repetitions of sword movements, she might look delicate on the outside, but she was actually quite confident in her physical strength.

Although she had been pushed to second place behind Theodore at Jeiha Academy, being second in the Swordsmanship Department during her first year at Jeiha Academy meant that her skills were the most outstanding.

It meant she excelled in various aspects, not just swordsmanship but also physical strength and more.

“So today, I’ll test the physical strength of those two new foreign students over there.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Theodore said calmly.

“What did you say?”

The professor seemed taken aback by Theodore’s retort.

“Ah, yes. You’re Theodore Skyroad! The heir to House Skyroad of the Arcan Empire, but right now, you’re just my student!”

“That’s true.”

“So are you talking to this professor in such a manner?”

Theodore shook his head.

“Not at all. I know your words are not wrong. It’s just that my physical strength is superior to yours, Professor.”

Professor Burrock, in charge of the physical training class, seemed to feel that Theodore’s words were extremely arrogant.

“I see. Are you being arrogant because you defeated Professor Benjamin in swordsmanship?”

Professor Burrock, who was confident in the area of physical strength, was frowning as if Theodore’s appearance seemed like that of an arrogant genius obsessed with his skills.

But Yuria knew that Theodore’s words, though they sounded annoying, were true.

In fact, during the physical training classes of their first year at Jeiha Academy last year, Yuria and Theodore had several sessions where they wore heavy objects of the same weight all over their bodies and had to endure with pure physical strength without using qi.

At that time, Yuria had endured better than other students, but eventually couldn’t withstand it and collapsed from physical limitations.

But Theodore didn’t show any signs of fatigue at all.

Even considering that he as a man naturally had more strength than Yuria as a woman, he was surprisingly sweating only a little, showing no signs of being tired at all.

Regarding that physical strength, Yuria still vividly remembered him answering the professor at that time, “When I was young, what I needed most was physical strength, so this is natural.”

“Really? Then do you have the confidence to show us how extraordinary your physical strength is?”

To the challenge thrown by Professor Burrock, Theodore did not back down.

“I can show you as much as you want.”